945 flood insurance claims·$16.0M paid·7 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Sullivan County, New York. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events dominates Sullivan County, accounting for 67 of the 86 total recorded flood events over the last thirty years and resulting in 2 deaths. Severe storms regularly test the region, such as in December 2023, when low pressure brought 2 to 4 inches of rain alongside melting snow that caused widespread flash and river flooding. A strong nor'easter in October 2021 similarly delivered hours of moderate to heavy rainfall, dumping 3 to 5 inches in parts of the region and triggering significant flash flooding and main stem river overflow.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood impacts extend well beyond designated high-risk areas. High-risk Zone A accounts for 585 claims with an average payout of $21,288 and an average recorded water depth of 26 inches. However, properties in lower-risk zones also experience losses; Zone X accounts for 215 claims averaging $23,846 with an average water depth of 18 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED accounts for 24 claims averaging $26,835 with an average water depth of 17 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated in Zone A due to the high frequency of claims and deeper average water levels, as well as properties located in Zone X where significant average payouts indicate that moderate flood risk exists outside of mapped high-risk zones.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Sullivan County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
621 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 22 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2006, with 237 claims and $8.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
49 NOAA storm reports from Sullivan County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New York flood stories →
35 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Hurricane Henri | Aug 21, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Mar 14, 2017 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 27, 2012 |
| Remnants Of Tropical Storm Lee | Sep 7, 2011 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 11, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 19, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
86 since 1996: 67 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Dec 18, 2023 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 26, 2021 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2021 | $3,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2020 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2018 | $15,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Dec 18, 2023. Low pressure moved north along the Atlantic Seaboard spreading steady and heavy rain into central New York during the overnight hours. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were observed along with a considerable amount of melting snow into area rivers and streams. Widespread flash flooding and river flooding occurred during this event.
Flood · Oct 26, 2021. A strong low pressure system moved from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast and reformed as a powerful nor'easter while moving into New England. This provided the region with several hours of moderate to heavy rainfall. In addition to significant flash flooding around the area, widespread minor to moderate river flooding occurred on many of the larger, main stem rivers and their tributaries.
Flash Flood · Oct 26, 2021. Deep moisture from the Atlantic Ocean was fed into a warm frontal zone located over Central New York by low pressure near New York City. This led to areas of moderate to heavy rainfall totaling between 3 to 5 inches of rain with locally higher amounts. This rainfall led to widespread flash flooding across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes region.
Flash Flood · Sep 1, 2021. A shield of moderate to heavy rainfall, associated with the remnants of tropical cyclone Ida, moved from the DelMarVa peninsula to New England. This rainfall on top of several weeks of abnormally wet weather led to areas of small stream and urban flash flooding in Central New York.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Sullivan County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.